…how many people does it take to find a set of keys? Two college freshmen, two campus security, and three janitors.

Would you like to hear the story? (If not, click out, because I’m telling it anyway!)

Wednesdays are my busy days at school. I work at 9:00 a.m. (not bad, I know), then have a little break till 12:30. From then, I have back-to-back classes and activities until 6:15. I’m constantly running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off! (excuse the cliche. Sorry.) I have five different things to fit into six hours. And I have to carry the books to each class all day, so my back really starts to hurt.

I got through last wednesday pretty well, though. (Not yesterday, but a week ago.) It was probably my best Wednesday yet. I was so happy! I was finally adjusting to my schedule.

I was finishing up my violin lessons (with my AWESOME teacher) when I realized I didn’t have my cell phone on me. Greeeeeeat. It wasn’t the first time I’d lost it somewhere on campus. However, the last time it ended up being in my backpack. So I assured my teacher that that was probably where it was this time, too, even if I couldn’t see it at first glance.

As soon as we walked out the door, I saw my roommate sitting on a bench waiting for me. Before I could even react, she smiled and said, “I have a present for you.” Then she handed me my phone.

It seems that while in science (at which I fell asleep. Literally. The lights were off, so no one noticed, though. 🙂 ) I set down my phone without realizing it. Thankfully, my professor or the assistant found it. They searched through my contacts, called my mother to get my dorm name, called my dorm to get my room phone, at which time my roommate answered. My dear roommate realized that I wouldn’t be out of classes until the place they were holding at was closed, so she went to pick it up and deliver it. Isn’t that sweet??

I now only have one class left. My roommate walks with me to it. We chat, I thank her and show her the way out of the confusing Music Department.

My next (and last) class ended early. As I’m walking back to my dorm, I realize I forgot to take my keys out of my backpack. Annoyed, I stop and set the huge, bulging black annoyance down and dig through it.

No keys.

Here’s another tidbit you might need to know. Not only are my keys on my lanyard, so is my student I.D., which I need to do almost anything, including eat. I figured it’s buried in all my books, and, not wanting to dump everything out on the sidewalk in front of gawking strangers, I proceed to go to my dorm.

Some other girls let me in with them. (Safety here just rocks! 🙂 ) I can’t open my dorm door (My roommate was out for supper), so I go to our lobby and unload my backpack to search. Nothing.

When I head out to retrace my steps, I bump into my roommate, on her way back. We turn arond, unload everything in the dorm, then head back out to begin the search.

Step one, the campus lost and found. No luck, of course (if only . . .) but I leave them my information so they can contact me.

We search my speech room. . . empty.

We head out to my science lab department. Here’s where things get interesting. We were at the Planetarium that day, which is securely locked. So, we ask some guys eating pizza in a nearby room if they know what we can do. They’re older and science-nerd looking, so they’d be smart, right?

TIp: never take the advice of strangers.

They told us we should just call security to open the door. Okay. I did.

When the security guard they sent arrived, he realized that the card-reader for the planetarium was broken. (This is what security guards use to enter rooms that their keys don’t work for. And it just so happened his keys didn’t work.)

Oh, and did I mention he had to take our information? First thing he did was whip out his little notepad and (since I didn’t have my I.D.–hence his being there) took my roommate’s I.D. and name, and my name. He was so solemn and official about it! I felt like we were getting written up! Well, maybe in a way we were . . .

Anyways, back to my story. Card reader doesn’t work, so he speaks into his little mic and CALLS FOR BACKUP. We can’t hear anyone reply, because it goes through his little earpiece, but he asked for someone to bring the keys to the building. We then stand there for 10-15 minutes for this VERY SLOW backup security officer to arrive.

Can you say AWKWARD??

What does a person say to a security officer? Hey, where are you from? I’m going to go on the assumption that they aren’t supposed to reveal that information. Hey big intimidating guy in the bulky jacket, how has your night been so far? I’m sure he’ll have an asnwer such as, Great. I drive around in a vehicle or golf cart all day, answering calls from irresponsible people who get themselves in messes too big for them to fix.

See, here’s the thing that embarrasses me the most. Some girls call security because they were out late and there’s a crowd of guys making them nervous. In an effort to prevent being raped, they call and get an escort. Why do I call?

I lost my stupid keys.

When security guy #2 shows up (he’s shorter, smiles more and isn’t NEARLY as intimidating), Security #1 tries the set of keys he brought.

“Strike one,” he says.

We all look at each other nervously.

“Strike two.” He puts in EVERY key on the ring. None work.

One of the two come up with the idea of a janitor. Security guard #1 looks at me, “Do you want to try that?”

“Um. I don’t think so. That’s a lot of work. It’s just a set of keys and I’m pretty sure they’re not even in there.” (I hadn’t known, until that point, when my roommate told me who found my phone, that that was where my phone would have been lost. If my keys were with it, whoever found it would have grabbed them, too.)

“It’s up to you,” he says. “I can call ’em”

“Well, why don’t you just call and see if they’re near. If they aren’t, don’t make them come,” I decide.

He talks into his official-looking mic again. We all wait. (Remember, we can’t hear the reply, because it’s in his earpiece.)

“He’s on his way.”

Good lord. That sounds like we’re part of some James Bond movie!

Thankfully, he wasn’t quite as slow as Security Guard #2. But, when he rounded the corner…”he” turned into “them”.

My roommate had to turn away, so she wouldn’t laugh at the situation. Talk about a crowd! The head janitor had come with two other guys. I think they were students, probably doing work-study. They stood back and watched while the janitor successfully opened the door.

It was dark. Thankfully I found the light switch just as the guards were pulling out their little official flashlights. This did not need to be any creepier than it already was!

Of course, as I guessed, no luck. We close up, everyone leaves except for the original intimidating Security guard (not to give you the wrong impression. He seemed fairly friendly. Just solemn and it was awkward.) He escorts us to my next class. Again, no luck.

I tell him I can search the rest myself, because those buildings should still be open.

Long story short: no keys. I was key-less for FIVE DAYS. At day six, I would have been forced to replace them and it would have cost me almost $100.00!!!

So where were they? Technically, in my backpack. For that science lab that was so difficult to get into, I use a big binder. On my initial run-through, searching my books, I obviously missed my keys stuck between the pages. After that, it sat on my shelf and I left it alone. But when I through it in my backpack as a “just in case I need this” monday night, my keys fell out into the bottom of my backpack!